453: Famous

"Saint!"

Before the person arrived, his voice did. Liu Tang, with his son Liu Shuzhi, ran over from afar, his face filled with excitement. Upon entering the main hall, he knelt and bowed, simultaneously shouting, "Welcome home, Saint!"

Liu Tang, a He Dao Realm expert and an Elder of his lineage, showed no trace of his usual composure. He was like a loyal dog eagerly awaiting its master's return, and if he had a tail, it would undoubtedly be wagging furiously.

Xu Sanyan leaned languidly against the back of the chair, resting his chin on one hand, watching quietly. Suddenly, he bared his teeth in a smile, "Rise."

"Thank you, Saint."

Liu Tang raised his head, the wrinkles on his face seemingly deepening, making him appear even older.

In contrast, Liu Shuzhi's cultivation progressed quickly; he had already achieved Foundation Establishment Completion and would soon reach the He Dao Realm.

"I am no longer a Saint. I heard the Saint Sect expelled me. It's inappropriate for you to address me as such."

Liu Tang immediately retorted angrily, "That's all just talk from that rebellious family! How can Venerable He Yu, of the Blood Refinement Lineage, dictate to my Chixin Lineage? The Hall Master has never acknowledged expelling the Saint from the Sect."

What Liu Tang said was correct. The Tongxin Demon Sect was formed by the merger of four families: the Tongxin Lineage, the Blood Refinement Lineage, the Chixin Lineage, and the Union of Joy lineage, each governing itself. Therefore, the Blood Refinement Lineage could not control the Chixin Lineage.

Although they all belonged to the Saint Sect, they tended to have a cooperative relationship. However, as the Sect Master of the Tongxin Lineage was the strongest, he was always revered.

Venerable He Yu had always wanted to withdraw from the Saint Sect and re-establish the Blood Refinement Sect. Coincidentally, Flower Maiden also shared this idea. The two hit it off, conspiring to defect, but the Sect Master disagreed, which led to the current conflict.

Xu Sanyan smiled, no longer caring much about these matters—his Saint status, being expelled from the Sect.

This return to the mountain had only two purposes for him:

Firstly, to seek revenge on Venerable He Yu.

But it seemed there might be no chance now; with Mad Daoist and Qi Yuanzhu jointly pursuing him, Venerable He Yu was likely doomed.

Secondly, he wanted to find a way to achieve the Saint Realm!

Xu Sanyan had already reached He Dao Perfection, and the next step was to achieve the Saint Realm. This return was primarily for this matter.

In this vast Central Continent, there were only five Saints, and coincidentally, the Tongxin Demon Sect had one. Therefore, there must be a method within the Sect to achieve the Saint Realm.

However, he was unsure of the Sect Master's attitude towards him for now. Xu Sanyan planned to first approach Mad Daoist and try to glean some information from him.

Mad Daoist was an experienced He Dao Realm expert and would surely have some understanding of how to achieve the Saint Realm.

Xu Sanyan furrowed his brows in thought, and the atmosphere became quiet for a moment. The three dared not speak and could only stand silently.

After a long while, Xu Sanyan slowly said, "Call me when the Hall Master returns. You may leave for now."

"Yes."

The three departed. Xu Sanyan lowered his head in thought, then took out a Jade Slip and extended his Divine Sense into it.

This Jade Slip was obtained in the Hundred Saints Secret Realm and contained the insights of a Saint. Although Xu Sanyan had completed the He Dao, his understanding of the Heavenly Dao had only just begun.

...

The imperial capital of Gan Country,

The capital examinations were nearing their end, but the Qian Emperor had been overwhelmed with matters recently and had no time to pay attention to them.

The disaster in Luan Yun Mountain had not yet subsided, and Devil Heads of the Demonic Path had emerged to stir up trouble. Just when things were finally calming down, problems arose in the Mist Sea. The Restriction that had stood firm for tens of thousands of years unexpectedly shattered at this very moment. Truly, blessings never come in pairs, and misfortunes never come alone.

A series of troubles followed one after another, causing this year's capital examinations to have a somewhat anticlimactic ending, concluding hastily. The Qian Emperor also had no mind to manage these things.

If one were to speak of the most resentful, it was undoubtedly Tang Huanhuan. She had invested her entire fortune for an opportunity, only to find such a result, which she found difficult to accept.

"You deserve to die!"

Tang Huanhuan tilted her head back, draining the turbid wine in her cup, then slammed the cup heavily onto the table, her indignation indescribable.

That Xu Sanyan was truly her bane. Of all times, why did he have to act during the capital examinations? This caused the court's focus to shift elsewhere, significantly reducing the importance of the examinations, directly harming Tang Huanhuan's interests.

As for why it harmed her interests, it was because the final rankings had been released: a total of thirty-two people, and Tang Huanhuan's name was prominently listed, at seventeenth place!

This was already a good result. Those who came to participate in the capital examinations were all outstanding Geniuses from various prefectures, backed by powerful aristocratic families. For Tang Huanhuan to reach this position as a commoner was already remarkable.

If not for this series of events, she would have been summoned by the Qian Emperor, cultivated by him, and retained in the capital for important appointments. But now...

Everything was gone!

The Qian Emperor had no time for them. Having lost the Qian Emperor's attention, their treatment significantly declined. When the final rankings were confirmed in a few days, they would probably just be given some random rewards and dismissed.

Tang Huanhuan now only wanted to kill Xu Sanyan!

How could he repay her like this, after she had slept with him and accompanied him through life-and-death situations back then?

She truly regretted not sending him off with a single blade back then!

"Xu Sanyan, you really deserve to die!"

Tang Huanhuan sat in the restaurant, muttering curses under her breath, unconsciously crushing the silver cup in her hand.

Just then, a question came from behind her, "Your Excellency, do you know Xu Sanyan?"

Tang Huanhuan turned to look, only to see a young woman dressed in a white gown, her face veiled with light gauze, holding a sheathed silver Dragon longsword, and wearing thousand-layered embroidered gold boots. She appeared like a celestial maiden, possessing extraordinary beauty, which drew frequent glances from the men in the restaurant.

"Who are you?" Tang Huanhuan frowned. She didn't particularly like talking to strangers.

"I am Yang Qiyuan, a Disciple of the Siyuan Sect. Greetings, female hero." Yang Qiyuan's voice was gentle as she rose and bowed.

"Yang Qiyuan..."

Tang Huanhuan thought back but had not heard of this person's name. She must not be anyone important, so she relaxed considerably and, instead of answering, asked, "Do you know Xu Sanyan?"

Yang Qiyuan hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded, "I do, but I'm not sure if it's the same person."

Xu Sanyan's name was now, if not universally known, certainly renowned, though not for good reasons.

It was said that people were already using his name to scare children. For example, if a child didn't listen, someone would say, "If you don't sleep now, the great Devil Head Xu will come to catch you!"

If a child was lazy and didn't practice martial arts properly, parents would say, "If you don't practice martial arts well, wait until the great Devil Head Xu comes to catch you and see how you resist!"

Such instances were countless.

Thus, his reputation spread wider and wider, and became increasingly notorious. Many things he didn't do were also attributed to him.

Just on her journey, Yang Qiyuan had heard many rumors. There were even cases where someone lost a few chickens, and the authorities, too lazy to investigate, would claim Xu Sanyan stole them, telling the victim to seek him out for compensation.

Tang Huanhuan asked again, "What is your relationship with him? Why are you looking for him?"

Yang Qiyuan did not answer, only shaking her head in disappointment and sitting down. "It seems you don't know where he is either."